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Virginia gov’s stance on cannabis sales bill (Newsletter: March 1, 2024)
Marijuana dispensary location analysis; New SAFER sponsor; AZ psilocybin; MD cannabis odor search bill; DE legal market rules; Denver psychedelics
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/ TOP THINGS TO KNOW
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) still doesn’t have “any interest” in signing a bill to legalize recreational cannabis sales that lawmakers sent to his desk this week, the governor’s press secretary told Marijuana Moment.
A new Pew Research Center analysis shows that eight in ten Americans now have at least one marijuana dispensary in their county—and that high concentrations of retailers often “cluster” near borders abutting other states that have “less permissive cannabis laws.”
Former Rep. Ed Perlmutter (D-CO) spoke to Marijuana Moment about the prospects for passing the cannabis banking rescheduling legislation he used to sponsor. He also offered his predictions on the timeline for federal rescheduling.
Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) became the latest cosponsor of a marijuana banking bill, saying it will “take the target off the backs” of dispensaries in her state that are facing a spate of robberies.
The Virginia House of Delegates and Senate sent Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) legislation to prevent parental marijuana use from being used as evidence of child abuse or neglect.
The Arizona Senate passed a bill to legalize psilocybin service centers where people could receive the psychedelic in a medically supervised setting.
The Maryland House Judiciary Committee held a hearing on a Republican-led bill to let police search vehicles based on the smell of marijuana, which is a legal product. Democrats on the panel and witnesses from NAACP and ACLU pushed back against the proposal.
The Delaware Office of the Marijuana Commissioner posted a second set of draft regulations for the adult-use cannabis market, this time covering issues such as product tracking, transportation, health standards, packaging and advertising.
Denver, Colorado officials are forming a new Natural Medicine Work Group to advise on local psychedelics regulations under a statewide legalization law.
Kansas’s Republican Senate president said a medical cannabis pilot program bill will be filed soon and that lawmakers “will likely hear it.”
/ FEDERAL
Rep. Andy Harris (R-MD) tweeted, “A dramatic, reputable study just found that for daily cannabis users the odds of a heart attack were 25% higher compared to non-users and 42% higher for stroke. Nearly half of the country now has legal cannabis laws. As a physician I have long said—the American people deserve to know the full effect modern marijuana has on the body before it is legalized for recreational use.”
The House bill to legalize marijuana got two new cosponsors for a total of 84.
/ STATES
A Kansas representative authored an op-ed arguing that medical cannabis legislation needs to have equity licensing provisions.
North Carolina House candidates discussed their views on marijuana policy.
Washington State regulators initiated rulemaking on the issue of allowing certain people under 21 years old on licensed marijuana business premises.
California regulators filed emergency rulemaking concerning allowing cannabis cultivation licensees to make certain changes.
Missouri regulators will begin accepting applications for a second round of marijuana microbusiness licenses in mid-April.
Iowa regulators published a list of licensed hemp businesses.
Colorado will hold a stakeholder meeting about legislation concerning safety profiles and potential for intoxication by cannabis products on Friday.
Massachusetts regulators will host the first in a series of marijuana social equity applications clinics on Saturday.
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Marijuana Moment is tracking more than 1,000 cannabis, psychedelics and drug policy bills in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters pledging at least $25/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they don’t miss any developments.
Learn more about our marijuana bill tracker and become a supporter on Patreon to get access.
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/ LOCAL
Two Jersey City, New Jersey police officers who were fired for off-duty marijuana use filed another lawsuit over the city’s refusal to follow a state Civil Service Commission order to reinstate them.
Several Ohio municipalities are enacting moratoriums on marijuana businesses.
New York City’s mayor attended an event to celebrate the opening of the first Black woman-owned legal cannabis dispensary in Brooklyn.
/ INTERNATIONAL
German state ministers are projecting that the government’s marijuana legalization law will not take effect on April 1 as planned but instead will be delayed six months.
Thailand’s health minister reiterated plans to enact legislation clarifying that recreational marijuana is illegal by the end of this year.
Netherlands lawmakers are expressing concerns about an ongoing experiment allowing legal access to regulated cannabis products.
The Canadian government generated more excise tax revenue from cannabis than from beer and wine last year.
/ SCIENCE & HEALTH
A review concluded that “the association between cannabis and anxiety is best explained by anxiety predisposing individuals toward [cannabis use] as a method of self-medication” and that “a causal relationship in which CU causes [anxiety disorders] incidence is less likely despite multiple longitudinal studies suggesting so.”
A review concluded that “the use of psychedelics might contribute to improvements not only in the severity of PTSD but also in depression or pain.”
/ ADVOCACY, OPINION & ANALYSIS
The New York Daily News editorial board is calling on Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) to do more to combat unlicensed marijuana businesses.
The Florida Medical Marijuana Trade Association is a new organization headed by a former director of the state Office of Medical Marijuana Use.
/ BUSINESS
Trulieve Cannabis Corp. reported quarterly revenue of $287 million and a net loss of $33 million.
Verano Holdings Corp. reported quarterly net revenue of $237.2 million and a net loss of $72.6 million.
Cronos Group Inc. reported quarterly consolidated net revenue of $23.9 million and a net loss of $45.2 million.
Housing Works launched an incubator to support social equity cannabis entrepreneurs.
A Vangst survey found that 86 percent of cannabis businesses plan to hire this year.
/ CULTURE
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert made a trailer for a fake Werner Herzog film about his home country of Germany legalizing marijuana.
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